Program Calendar

Holly Nelson, Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Rutgers University’s Landscape Architecture Department, leads a discussion on the role of landscape architecture in the home garden. In this on-site lecture, Nelson explores how to take advantage of existing environment and site constraints and how to balance a natural wilderness with our modern lifestyle.

Morven’s annual "Festival of Trees" is a winter exhibition where visitors enjoy trees, mantels, and porches, artfully decorated for the holidays by local businesses, garden clubs, and non-profit organizations. Contemporary Garden's Club participation in the Festival of Trees is a longstanding club tradition with handmade ornaments.

With their deadly plants, razor-sharp shears, shady corners, and ready-made burial sites, gardens make an ideal scene for the perfect murder. Writer and gardener Marta McDowell illuminates the many ways in which our greatest mystery writers, from Edgar Allen Poe to authors on today’s bestseller lists, have found inspiration in the sinister side of gardens.

Deck the halls and fa-la-la! Bringing greenery indoors is one of humanity's oldest traditions, with evergreens representing eternal life and the promise of spring's rebirth. This workshop focuses on hand-crafted wreaths and garlands, using fresh and dried plant materials.

Gloria Day, president of Pretty Dirty Ladies, a garden design and maintenance business, has been creating custom gardens for 35 years. This workshop will focus on planting perennials for bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects, as well as methods for controlling invasive plants.

Have you ever wondered how judges give out those coveted blue ribbons at flower shows? Claire Jones will demystify the process through prepared examples and the on-site creation of an award-worthy arrangement.

Planters are the jewelry of a garden, elevating it from “good” to “great”! Learn how to use stunning container groupings to brighten shady spots with pops of color, create focal points for vistas, and design welcoming entry gardens. From whimsical to grand, these "pots with pizzazz" from private and public gardens will inspire and teach you to design your own potted masterpieces.

CGC's annual flower show combines artistic vision, craftsmanship, and horticultural mastery. Members are encouraged to submit entries across multiple categories. Prize ribbons are awarded, plus the coveted "Most Creative" award!

An extensive look at the 19th-century Greek Revival home located on the Delaware River and surrounded by stunning, native woodlands and spectacular formal gardens. Andalusia is home to the first meeting of the Garden Club of Philadelphia and where the by-laws that established the Garden Club of America were drafted.

Margaret Parish is an artist, gardener and stoneworker based in Bucks County, PA. She creates and maintains gardens whose design evolves organically, guided by her observation of ecosystem dynamics. Margaret will share some of her work and discuss garden maintenance techniques that compliment natural systems and benefit the surrounding ecology.